So it's Halloween in Chile, as well, and it's not as big here, but warrants its own section of candy in the supermarket. I don't think there's any trick-or-treating, but there are quite a few parties. We're having a party in our building for one of my roommate's birthdays tonight.
We went surfing last weekend (a group of 27 of us... in a house for 16) at a beach a bit south of Santiago. The water was absolutely frigid... but with a wetsuit it wasn't bad until you fall, when all the water manages to work its way inside. (For all those worried, there were no sharks or sharp rocks or anything like that.) All in all, quite a nice weekend.
I'm going to Buenos Aires tomorrow at 10 AM to visit friends studying there (That I've been saying I'd get around to for the last 3 months...). It's a 24-hour busride, but after the Bolivia-Peru adventure (a total of 137 hours on bus in 2 weeks) I'm a professional, and 24 hours doesn't seem too bad. I'll be back on Monday!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
Trip to Mendoza, Argentina/ Pase escolar
So last weekend we (a group of 8) decided to cross the Andes and spend the weekend in Mendoza, Argentina. It's a great city, very relaxed with a lot of parks. The best thing, without a doubt, is the "tenedor libre" (free fork) concept, which is basically a steak buffet. Except when I think "Steak Buffet," I usually think of a pretty seedy place with C quality meat. This is good Argentine steak, and a lot of it, for $5. God bless Argentina.
Also, I managed to get a student pass for the metro, which will allow me to legally use the student tickets that I've been using the whole semester. I was informed in the international students' office and multiple times in the metro that exchange students weren't allowed to get the student pass. I feel sorry for the gringos that are paying 3x the student price because they didn't bother to ask around for the student pass, and believed the people in the metro office when they said that you can't buy student tickets without a certain student pass. What I heard when they said that was "I'm not going to sell you student tickets without that pass." I managed to find 2 friends that worked in the metro next to campus who were sympathizers in my struggle, and for about a month had an underground network of student tickets. About 3 weeks ago, they tightened up all the regulations, and it was virtually impossible to get on the metro with a student ticket without the pass. I felt like Che Guevara, except without killing people. So, today, I finally managed to get the pass, and was smiling the whole ride back to my apartment.
Also, I managed to get a student pass for the metro, which will allow me to legally use the student tickets that I've been using the whole semester. I was informed in the international students' office and multiple times in the metro that exchange students weren't allowed to get the student pass. I feel sorry for the gringos that are paying 3x the student price because they didn't bother to ask around for the student pass, and believed the people in the metro office when they said that you can't buy student tickets without a certain student pass. What I heard when they said that was "I'm not going to sell you student tickets without that pass." I managed to find 2 friends that worked in the metro next to campus who were sympathizers in my struggle, and for about a month had an underground network of student tickets. About 3 weeks ago, they tightened up all the regulations, and it was virtually impossible to get on the metro with a student ticket without the pass. I felt like Che Guevara, except without killing people. So, today, I finally managed to get the pass, and was smiling the whole ride back to my apartment.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
So a few interesting stories-
The metro in Santiago is almost always clean, fast, reliable, etc.; without any drunks or crazy people...
But, one time last week I got on the metro and was standing next to an old Chilean man, and he starts saying "Texano, Texano!" Now, I'm not wearing my Texas sweatshirt or anything, and actually I had on a sweatshirt I bought in Bolivia. So, the way this guy is talking, I figure he's staggering drunk and probably crazy to boot. I kinda move away, and he starts saying completely nonsensical jibberish (at least I couldn't understand any of it). The guy next to me gets out and says "Careful, he'll punch you in the face." So I decide that's more then enough reason to exit and change cars at the next station, which I do, only to be followed by this man. So, I pick up the pace considerably, so does he, and I wait until I hear the bell sound for the door closing, and jump through at the last second. He tries to follow, but the door shuts in his face. If I'd had my whip, I would've felt more like Indiana Jones, but I guess that was enough adventure for the time being.
The metro in Santiago is almost always clean, fast, reliable, etc.; without any drunks or crazy people...
But, one time last week I got on the metro and was standing next to an old Chilean man, and he starts saying "Texano, Texano!" Now, I'm not wearing my Texas sweatshirt or anything, and actually I had on a sweatshirt I bought in Bolivia. So, the way this guy is talking, I figure he's staggering drunk and probably crazy to boot. I kinda move away, and he starts saying completely nonsensical jibberish (at least I couldn't understand any of it). The guy next to me gets out and says "Careful, he'll punch you in the face." So I decide that's more then enough reason to exit and change cars at the next station, which I do, only to be followed by this man. So, I pick up the pace considerably, so does he, and I wait until I hear the bell sound for the door closing, and jump through at the last second. He tries to follow, but the door shuts in his face. If I'd had my whip, I would've felt more like Indiana Jones, but I guess that was enough adventure for the time being.
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